Calcium Dosage

Your calcium dosage is determined by several factors, including your age, the type of calcium you are taking, and why you are taking it. For general supplementation purposes, dosing is based on the recommended Adequate Intakes (AIs) chart. For treating specific conditions, other doses may be recommended (although for most uses, the recommended dose is similar to the standard AI dose).

Calcium Supplement Information

An Introduction to Calcium Dosage

The recommended dose of calcium depends on several different factors, such as:

Your age
The reason you take calcium
The type of calcium you take
How much calcium you get through foods
Other medical conditions you may have.

As always, do not adjust your dosage without your healthcare provider's approval.

Calcium Dosing Guidelines for General Supplementation

For general supplementation purposes, the recommended Adequate Intakes (AIs) for calcium are as follows:

Age	AI
0 to 6 months	210 mg daily
7 to 12 months	270 mg daily
1 to 3 years	500 mg daily
4 to 8 years	800 mg daily
9 to 18 years	1300 mg daily
19 to 50 years	1000 mg daily
51 years and older	1200 mg daily

The recommended Adequate Intake for pregnant or breastfeeding women is the same as for non-pregnant individuals.

For nutrients that can cause toxicity, a "Tolerable Upper Intake Level" (UL) is given. This is the maximum that can be taken (from all sources, including the diet) without causing significant toxicity. The UL of calcium for infants up to 12 months old has not been established. For everyone else, the UL is 2500 mg (2.5 grams) daily.

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